In Japan, the island of Tashiro is still recovering from the devastating earthquake and tsunami a year ago. But thanks to the local cat population, people from across the country have been donating to a special fund to help those living there. Known locally as "Cat Island," Tashiro is home to twice as many felines as humans. This may sound surprising but it makes perfect sense as the main industry here is fishing and oyster farming. Miraculously just one person was declared missing after the disaster from a population of sixty. But everyone was deeply affected by the catastrophe. Fishing resumed here as early as last July. The Tashiro islanders have lived alongside cats for as long as they can remember. Over the years, the cats have become a good luck charm and the focus of a shrine on the island.

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami, people from across Japan were moved by the story of 'Cat Island' and donated millions of yen to the islanders. The fund is lovingly called the "The Meow Project". Yutaka Hama, Tashiro Islander, said, "We support each other here in this island but most of all, we're grateful to the cats and to the people who have supported us from afar. People's thoughts were very heartwarming." On top of the hill of Tashiro island, cat-shaped lodges overlook the Sea of Japan where a year ago huge waves had soaked the coasts and islands of the area. The cat lodge will re-open in May. The "meow" fund donations remain untouched as residents have yet to decide what to do with the money and how to spread it out.

相关中文报道

被人们昵称为“猫岛”的田代岛位于日本宫城县东南方向的海上，小岛面积只有2.7平方公里，居民数量还不到100人，却是名副其实的猫咪的天堂，两倍于人类数量的猫咪在田代岛乐享生活，人与猫和谐共处、与世无争，宛如走进现实版桃花源。然而，2011年3月11日日本里氏9.0级大地震并引发的海啸也让“猫岛”遭受严重打击，甚至一度传出“猫岛”不复存在的噩耗，牵动了无数人的心。

事实上，虽然“猫岛”并没有被巨浪吞噬，但经历了那场灾难已经是满身伤痕。据报道一名居民在灾难中失踪，无数只猫咪下落不明。更给当地人生产生活蒙上阴影的是地震影响了渔业和海产业，之前人们把捕来的鱼喂给岛上的猫咪吃，现在只能喂给它们猫粮。不过，“猫岛”上的居民并没有放弃家园，他们建立了一个“喵喵基金会”（The Meow Project），从社会各界募集善款重建家园，目前已经收到大约1亿5000万日元，这些钱将用于重新发展渔业，修复猫咪神社和猫咪窝棚等。

声明：音视频均来自互联网链接，仅供学习使用。本网站自身不存储、控制、修改被链接的内容。"沪江英语"高度重视知识产权保护。当如发现本网站发布的信息包含有侵犯其著作权的链接内容时，请联系我们，我们将依法采取措施移除相关内容或屏蔽相关链接。